Firmament

The Hidden Science of Weather, Climate Change and the Air That Surrounds Us

A thin, invisible layer of air surrounds the Earth, sustaining all known life on the planet and creating the unique climates and weather patterns that make each part of the world different.

In Firmament, atmospheric scientist and science communicator Simon Clark offers a rare and accessible tour of the ins and outs of the atmosphere and how we know what we know about it. From the workings of its different layers to why carbon dioxide is special, from pioneers like Pascal to the unsung heroes working in the field to help us understand climate change, Firmament introduces us to an oft-overlooked area of science and not only lays the ground work for us to better understand the debates surrounding the climate today, but also provides a glimpse of the future that is possible with this knowledge in hand.

(P) 2022 Hodder & Stoughton Limited©2022 Simon Clark

Reseñas de la Crítica

An engaging account of something essential to life on Earth yet barely understood by most people: the atmosphere. If you don't know your stratosphere from your troposphere, you will after reading this lively history... all the more powerful thanks to a final chapter that explains how this complex system is changing, and what that means for the future of humanity. -- Financial Times

The author's enthusiasm shines through every page of this captivating guide to our unpredictable weather... He serves up high drama in balloons, deep ice drilling in the Antarctic, and through it all draws out the patterns in our seemingly chaotic weather - and the science behind them - with clarity and verve. - Sunday Times

Simon Clark writes with a lightness and enthusiasm that ensures that what goes on above us doesn't go over our heads. - Irish Independent

Came from Youtube, stayed for books

Atmospheric science is cool!

He does wicked demos on Youtube, too! found out about a lot of new scientists I should appreciate. :)

I wish all my teachers taught like this

lovely book, lovely narration, highly recommend

(if Mr. Simon Clark ever sees this I'm very impressed with all the pronunciation of the people's names nice job)

The Beauty & importance of atmospheric science

Learn the beautiful concepts of atmospheric science while hearing wonderful stories about the people and historical context in which each hard-fought discovery was made.

Up to snuff with the content you would expect

Very high quality information that is, of course, only as interesting as you imagine climate science to be. This is important, relevant information for those who wish to be well informed in the how and why of the mess we are getting ourselves in.

I find Simon to be reputable and trustworthy, so I was happy to listen along and feel secure that the information I was being fed was accurate.

I always love when an author narrates, and this is no different. Simon is perfectly capable in his role as narrator here.

Very nice introduction to history of atmospheric science

I enjoyed this combination of an introduction to atmospheric science and the history of western (including Muslim civilizations) thinking about the atmosphere. Considering the number of years covered it is remarkably concise and yet introduced me to aspects of the subject I had not read about elsewhere. Most of the discussion of climate change is restricted to the last couple of chapters.